This is what I'm talkin about!

Transition Towns

I would certainly rather join an established group that is interested in strengthening our community than to reinvent the wheel, and I think I have found such a group. Many of their goals are the same goals that I have. I think this may be a good place to start.

It begins with registering on the site into the database so that others can see if there are any other individuals in our same community that is interested in getting an initiative like this started. In Monticello, right now, no one is registered. I just registered and will try to spread the word and get a group together.

Here is the site and a great introduction to the project: Go to the Tab Transaction Towns and click on Mullers to add your name to the registry of interested individuals. Transitions United States. 

Maybe this is the vehicle that can get us to where we want to go!

What is Get Growing - Monticello?

This is what I would like to focus on and accomplish as a group of volunteers of Get Growing - Monticello:

Our Mission is:

• Encourage people/families to grow food for themselves and a little extra to share with others.

• Share resources; time, knowledge, seeds, seedlings, etc.

• Build community by getting involved in neighborhood and community garden projects.

• End hunger in our community by teaching others how to grow food and planned abundance.

Ethics-driven actions we would be asked to practice:

• Everything is free - all the time. 

• Get once - give twice. By participating in two garden planting projects, you are eligible to have your garden planted.

• Planned abundance - plan to share. 

• Keep it simple. For the first-time gardener we would offer to help plant corn, beans, and squash (the Three Sisters) and explain the basics of sustainable agriculture. For the more experienced gardener we can customize plans according to individual needs and wants, but the project will be light on workload, meaning it should be completed within an hour or two by a handful of volunteers!

Getting Started

Winter is for dreaming and planning if your a gardener. I am and boy is my mind working overtime! I have so many ideas that I want to share with my neighbors and community and a deep need to feel connected. Hence this blog site.

I don't know how I am going to do it, but I want to start a network of volunteers that will promote sustainable urban gardens while actually ending hunger in our community. That all. Simple. But how to get started.

Ending hunger is easy - here's how - with the concept of Planned Abundance. When you plant your garden this year plan on planting a little extra to donate to the Food Shelf or share with another community organization. Don't just put extras on your neighbors door step and run! When the harvest starts coming in also think of sharing not just raw produce like apples, but perhaps canned applesauce or dried apples slices.

But we can do more. Instead of just giving food to the food shelf, lets help people grow their own food. Everybody can grow some amount of food even if they have no yard at all. Corn, beans and fruit can be grown on a balcony in pots. Apartment building residents can plant a community garden. Townspeople can plant a city garden. This will also have the benefit of community building where we can get ongoing support, share ideas and literally join hands to becoming more self reliant.